John Koku Awoonor-Williams is a public health specialist and physician for the Ghana Health Service (GHS). His areas of specialization and interest include health systems reform and development, especially improving access to health care for rural, marginalized, and vulnerable populations; child health; and adolescent reproductive health. He holds a medical degree from the Minsk State Medical School, a master's degree from the University of Leeds, a certificate from the University of Liverpool in gender health and communicable disease, and a certificate in health administration and management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. He was a Gates Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Awoonor-Williams currently works in the Nkwanta District, one of the 15 districts of the Volta Region of Ghana. Nkwanta is considered to be one of the most deprived and poorly resourced/endowed districts in the area and has very little health infrastructure. He has put into practice a number of health system innovations in the district, most notably the implementation of the Community-based Health Planning and Services initiative. Awoonor-Williams recently collaborated on a household survey to evaluate community-based health services and is conducting research pertaining to safe motherhood services and expected pregnancy outcomes based on the survey results.

In addition to his GHS post, Awoonor-Williams is a visiting lecturer for the University of Ghana, Legon, School of Public Health and supervises and mentors master's of public health residents. He has been recognized nationally and internationally for his contribution to the public health community. He was honored in 2006 by the World Medical Association as one of 65 Caring Physicians of the World. Awoonor-Williams is a member of numerous professional organizations, and his research has been published in local and international peer-reviewed journals.

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This page updated 23 March 2007

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